Women battling breast cancer now have the option of staying in Midland if they opt for reconstructive surgery.

Midland Memorial Hospital has acquired the only plastic surgeon in Midland who will specialize in breast reconstruction. Dr. Stephanie Beidler began working at the hospital on Sept. 15 and performed her first surgery Wednesday. She replaces a surgeon who recently retired.

She comes to Midland from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she spent 10 years in surgical training. She attended medical school at the University of Chicago and said she moved to Midland because she has family here.

Beidler will join a staff that includes a team of radiologists including Dr. Noah Wempe, radiologist and director of Allison’s Women’s Imaging; Charliss Rodgers, nurse navigator and Dr. Sandeepa Musunuru, a general surgeon who is fellowship-trained in breast surgery. Having this team will allow Allison to gain accreditation to become a certified quality breast center of excellence through the National Quality Measures for Breast Centers.

There are only 33 centers in the United States and two are located in Texas, in Houston and Rockwall.

Allison’s Women’s Imaging already is a certified quality breast center -- the only one in Texas and one of only 15 in the U.S, according to the NQMBC’s website.

Hiring a plastic surgeon for breast reconstructive surgery is one requirement the hospital had to meet in order to be considered a breast center of excellence. By having this higher level of certification, Wempe said patients can feel confident staying in their own community for treatment.

In the past, patients had a portion of their care a MMH, but those who wanted reconstructive surgery had to travel as far away as Dallas-Fort Worth or Houston for treatments.

Patients had to choose whether to opt to not have reconstructive surgery or to go elsewhere.

“Those were their choices,” Beidler said.

But having Beidler on staff, allowed the hospital to address this fragmented approach to treatment, officials said.

Staff said it’s important for patients to know that with this new certification they will not have to leave their home or support system.

Breast reconstruction is an individual’s decision and is an elective surgery, staff said.

“Everything about breast cancer is individual,” Rodgers said.

While some women may need time to contemplate having the surgery, others know right away that it’s what they want, Beidler said,

But reconstructive surgery is not a one-stop shop, she said. Typical surgery can take up to one year to complete.

“We have the opportunity to offer care. It gives us the sense we’re really taking care of people,” Beidler said.

By having a completed team, they’re able to offer a more comprehensive diagnosis and treatment.

If Wempe spots something wrong in the mammogram resulting in a biopsy and a diagnosis of cancer, Rodgers, as the nurse navigator, is able to assist the patient to make sure they don’t get lost in the system. Patients then will go through surgery with Musunuru and finally work with Beidler.

A tumor board meets every two weeks to discuss patients, cases and surgeries, and Rodgers said it helps the staff to provide comprehensive care for the patient.

“We’re striving for a standard. We’re striving for the highest quality of care we can give our patients in the community,” Wempe said. “We think it’s a good thing.”